Ready for Prime Time

Washington sets 3-pointer marks as Islanders put on show from beyond the arc

Texas-Arlington had it all wrong. It's supposed to be Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi's opponents that do the damage from 3-point
range.

But the Mavericks men's basketball team struggled Monday night from
beyond the 3-point arc, while the Islanders thrived. UTA shot less than
16 percent from 3-point range, as A&M-Corpus Christi's Josh
Washington hit a school-record eight 3-pointers at the American Bank
Center.

With Washington and Seth Engelken, another shooter, earning career
highs, the Islanders jumped ahead early and cruised to a 91-72 victory
over the Mavericks in Southland Conference action in front of an
announced crowd of 3,178 and a regional television audience on Fox
Sports Net.

Washington, a senior, said he has never had a game where he has shot
the ball so well, connecting on 8 of 11 from 3-point range for 28
points.

"I've never had any kind of hot hand like that in my life," said
Washington, who set the school record with 75 3-pointers in a season.
"I've been playing basketball for a long time and never shot like that
before. It's a great feeling."

Washington's hot hand keeps A&M-Corpus Christi (20-5, 11-1) one
game ahead of Sam Houston (18-8, 10-2) in the race for the Southland
title.

It also gives the Islanders 20 victories for the third consecutive
season.

The reason was simple. A&M-Corpus Christi made 13 of 22
3-pointers. Aside from Washington, Engelken connected on 3 of 6 from
long range en route to 19 points.

UTA (11-15, 6-7), which had a five-game winning streak snapped, only
made 3 of 19 from behind the arc. Part of that was due what went on
inside.

"Our strategy is to go inside-outside," Mavericks coach Scott Cross
said. "They did a good job clamping down on the inside, and kept us
from getting the ball inside to our big men. They shut that down."

The Islanders had allowed 56 3-pointers made in their previous four
games. UTA had not shot lower than 30 percent from 3-point range in the
past eight games. Those streaks were demolished.

"Our zone defense was really good when we spread it," A&M-Corpus
Christi coach Ronnie Arrow said. "We'll win a whole lot of games with
that type of defense."

They also could win a lot of games with the numbers from their point
guards, as Josh Ervin and Taurean Mitchell combined for 10 assists and
only one turnover. And, as Arrow pointed out, those numbers came
despite UTA pressing for much of the game.

The Islanders also made 22 free throws in a row to start the game,
padding their lead from the line.

Washington - and the Mavericks - set the tone from the start. UTA
clamped on A&M-Corpus Christi big man Chris Daniels, and Washington
took charge.

Washington took the team's first seven shots and knocked down four
3-pointers, breaking a tie with the final one to give the Islanders the
lead for good at 14-11.

"We expected Josh Washington to go off," UTA guard Rodrick Epps
said. "We needed to find where he was, and we never did a good job. He
hit four in a row to start and that got them ahead."

Complementing Washington was Engelken, who made 6 of 10 from the
floor. As A&M-Corpus Christi built a 26-22 lead, 18 of the points
came off 3-pointers.

"We had a lot of opportunities against their zone," Engelken said.
"Our big guys commanded so much respect, and so there were holes.
Taurean did a great job of finding me."

While the Mavericks were within five points at the half, Washington
nailed all four 3-point shots he took in the second half. The Islanders
started on a 19-5 run, and the game effectively was over, as UTA made
only 1 of 10 from 3-point range in the second half.